California Nears Approval Of Alcohol Consumption In Public

California Senate Bill 969 gets one step closer to becoming a reality. It will allow of drinking of alcohol in public.Photo byphoto by www.lifehopeandtruth.com website

With all of the festivals and things to do in California, alcohol plays a big role in the festivities. For better or worse, a new bill allowing people to drink alcohol in public is getting closer to being a reality.

Senate Bill 969 was approved by the state senate and now must be signed by Governor Gavin Newsom to go into law.What some lawmakers are calling “Entertainment Zones," a bill to allow for public drinking, has passed another hurdle in the State of California. The law will somewhat mimic the Las Vegas law.

Proponents say that this will help bring traffic to bars and restaurants and bring back traffic that was lost by COVID-19. Proponents say it may increase crime and unwanted behavior. Metal and glass containers won't be involved.

The bill says that people would not be able to just drink wherever they wanted to. People could only drink outside in an “Entertainment Zone." The bill would “define an entertainment zone as a zone created by a city, county, or city and county ordinance on or after January 1, 2025, that authorizes consumption of one or more types of alcoholic beverages on public streets, sidewalks, or public rights-of-way.” It would be somewhat like the laws in Las Vegas that allow for you to drink alcohol as long as it's not in a glass.